JEDDAH: New anti-smoking regulations that were approved by the Cabinet in August 2003 have not yet been implemented and there is no date fixed to do so, said Dr. Majid Al-Munif, head of the Anti-Smoking Program at the Ministry of Health. “The regulations are yet to be studied and no specified time has been fixed to implement them,” said Al-Munif. He added that specialists from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance, the Mini ... Jump to full article >>

The struggling state coffers will burden smokers to get more revenue. Little cigars — the ones that come with filters in sweet flavors and look like cigarettes — will more than double in price because of the state budget crisis. Beginning Nov. 1, the cigars will cost an additional $1.60 per pack. The price will jump from 99 cents a pack to $2.59. At the same time, the price of cigarettes will go up an additional 25 cents. “They ... Jump to full article >>

Lawsuit claims unsafe conditions on casino floor A Wynn Las Vegas employee is suing the hotel-casino, claiming it is an unsafe workplace because of secondhand smoke. The federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, which seeks class action status, alleges the casino encouraged patrons to light up and disciplined workers if they complained. The court filing by Wynn dealer Kanie Kastroll accuses Wynn Las Vegas of breaching its duty to provide a safe workplace ... Jump to full article >>

AUSTIN — The Texas treasury lost $19.5 million through an investment in the Ponzi scheme run by convicted financial swindler Bernard Madoff. The money was part of a $224.5 million investment the Texas Treasury Safekeeping Trust Co. had with a Texas-based hedge fund called Austin Capital Safe Harbor. Austin Capital closed in May because of losses it suffered in one of Madoff’s scam investment funds. Comptroller Susan Combs chairs the Tre ... Jump to full article >>

Indianapolis – Researchers at Indiana University say secondhand smoke costs every Marion County resident $54 a year. They say it’s a health risk too costly to ignore. The debate over expanding Marion County’s smoking ban to all workplaces – including bars and smoking establishments that currently allow smoking – boils down to individual rights vs. public health. When Jarron Carter smokes, those around him at the cit ... Jump to full article >>

Santa Cruz residents are no longer allowed to smoke outdoors in certain areas of the city under a new ban that took effect this week. A new ordinance, approved by the City Council on Sept. 22, prohibits smoking on Pacific Avenue, Beach Street between the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf and Third Street, and West Cliff Drive. “Research is showing that secondhand smoke is a serious health problem,” Councilwoman Katherine Beiers said. “ ... Jump to full article >>

NEW YORK — A federal appeals court will not prevent the shutdown of a group of Long Island Indian smoke shops found to have been illegally selling cigarettes. In late August, Judge Carol B. Amon of the Federal District Court in Brooklyn granted the city’s motion for a preliminary injunction against owners and operators of cigarette businesses located on the Poospatuck Indian reservation in Mastic, Long Island. The injunction bars the ... Jump to full article >>

Some tobacco researchers have argued that the European Union should remove its ban on a form of low-nitrosamine smokeless tobacco referred to as Swedish ‘snus’. This argument has developed in to an international debate over the use of smokeless tobacco as a measure of harm reduction for smokers. Leading authorities in the USA have firmly stated that there is no safe tobacco – a message which does not allow for any discussion of ... Jump to full article >>

A REPORT that puts the social cost of cigarette smoking to Australia at $31 billion has prompted health groups to say it is a mandate to raise the already hefty taxes on cigarettes even further. They are wrong, in fact it is a mandate to ban cigarettes altogether. The report, by the Cancer Council of Western Australia, assessed the economic impact of both the tobacco industry itself, as well as public health measures aimed at reducing tobacco us ... Jump to full article >>

Gov. David A. Paterson has asked the U.S. Justice Department for a “threat assessment” about possible violence if he were to try to collect taxes on cigarette sales by Indian tribes, including the Seneca Nation. In a letter to top federal prosecutors, the governor also suggests he might need help from Washington in dealing with any unrest by Indian tribes. The unusual request, dated Sept. 23 and sent to the U.S. attorneys in the stat ... Jump to full article >>